The Mummy Page #8

I think not.

And that's when the horses STAMPEDE onto the bow. Jonathan

dives over one side, the three Americans dive over the other.

NILE RIVERBANK - NIGHT

O'Connell, Evelyn, Jonathan and the Warden wade out of the

water. Evelyn's nightgown clings tight to her body as she

wrings it out. She looks good. O'Connell notices. Everybody

else, including the horses, is getting out on the far shore

O'Connell spots Beni running up to the Americans.

BENI:

Hey O'Connell! Looks to me

like I got all the horses!

O'CONNELL

Hey Beni! Looks to me like your

on the wrong side of the river!

Beni looks up at the stars, then angrily KICKS the sand

CURSING. The FLAMING barge drifts off, slowly sinking ........

BEDOUIN TRADING POST - DAY

O'Connell barters in ARABIC with a CAMEL TRADER at a trading

post. Jonathan forks over some cash. The Trader hands them

the reins of four ugly old camels.

JONATHAN:

I can't believe the price of

these fleabags.

O'CONNELL

We coulda had 'em for free, all

we had to do was give 'em your sister.

JONATHAN:

Yes, awfully tempting, wasn't it?

O'CONNELL

Awfully.

And that's when Evelyn steps out of a trading tent. She's

changed into a gorgeous, tightly fitted, Bedouin dress.

O'CONNELL

Then again....

SAHARA DESERT SAND DUNES - DAY

O'Connell, Evelyn, Jonathan and the warden are on camels in

the middle of the frying pan; the endless, sunbaked Sahara.

JONATHAN:

Never did like camels. Filthy

buggers. They smell, they bite,

they spit. Disgusting.

The warden savagely attacks a chicken wing with his vile

green teeth. Flies buzz around his head. He sucks at his

gums, then spits out some gristle. O'Connell watches him.

O'CONNELL

Yeah, disgusting.

Evelyn is having the time of her life on top of her camel.

EVELYN:

Well I think they're cute.

WE DO SEVERAL TIME DISSOLVES: showing the majesty of the

desert, and our heroes getting deeper and deeper into it.

FRYING PAN - NIGHT

The MOON shines down an four lone camel rider's trekking

across the vast wasteland.

Jonathan is sound asleep, his head bobbing comically to

the rhythm of his camel. on the camel next to him, the

Warden SNORES LOUDLY. Up in front of them, Evelyn slowly

starts to slide off her saddle. O'Connell reaches over and

stops her, then gently pushes her back up onto her saddle,

never waking her. For a long moment, his eyes watch Evelyn,

and then he looks up at a distant ridge--

--where Ardeth Bay and a group of MUMIA RIDERS are pacing them.

EXT. GIANT SAND DUNE - ENDLESS HORIZON - DAY

The dawning sun hasn't yet crested the distant horizon as

Jonathan and the Warden ride alongside a giant sand dune.

JONATHAN:

And you snore!

WARDEN:

I do not snore!

JONATHAN:

All night you snored!

WARDEN:

I have never snored!

Up in front of them, O'Connell looks at Evelyn.

O'CONNELL

We're almost there.

EVELYN:

Are you sure?

O'Connell looks down at the ground.

O'CONNELL

Pretty sure.

The others look down and see DOZENS OF SKELETONS sticking out

of the ground. Bleached and eaten away. Some of the skeletons

look like they're trying to crawl up out of the desert floor.

JONATHAN:

what in bloody hell is this?

The Warden shivers in fear.

WARDEN:

Other seekers of Hamunaptra.

The American Expedition rides out from behind the far end of

the dune. The Americans are accompanied by TWO DOZEN NATIVE

DIGGERS and an Arab EGYPTOLOGIST. Beni rides lead on a camel,

the rest ride horses.

BENI:

Good morning, my friend!

O'Connell just nods. The two parties come to a stop a hundred

feet apart. O'Connell turns and stares out across the endless

horizon. Beni does likewise. The Americans look puzzled.

DANIELS:

Well, what the hell we doin'?

BENI:

Patience, my good sahib, patience.

Henderson looks over at O'Connell.

HENDERSON:

First one to the city, O'Connell!

Five hundred! Cash bucks!

O'Connell and Beni just stare out at the flat nothingness.

Evelyn and Jonathan share a look. And then, the SUN starts to

rise in the distance, breaking the flat horizon.

O'CONNELL

Get ready.

Evelyn can feel the suspense and the majesty of the moment.

EVELYN:

For what?

O'CONNELL

we're about to be shown the way.

Far off to the right, a HUGE SHAPE begins to rise with the

sun. A VOLCANO. O'Connell and Beni watch it, expressionless.

Daniels, Henderson and Burns share a look, and then--

DANIELS/HENDERSON/BURNS

HEYA!

The Americans take off. Racing towards the rising volcano.

DANIELS:

SEE YA THERE, O'CONNELL!

Evelyn and Jonathan give O'Connell anxious, sarcastic looks.

JONATHAN:

Ah, begging your pardon, but

shouldn't we be going?

EVELYN:

After all, you rode us night

and day to win that bet.

O'Connell doesn't say a word, staring hard.

Beni watches the Americans and spits into the sand.

BENI:

Fools

And then suddenly, the volcano SHIFTS ACROSS THE HORIZON.

Passing across the sun as it goes. --It's a MIRAGE.

The Americans crash their horses to a stop and race the other

way, after the volcano. Evelyn and Jonathan smile, amazed.

The volcano SHIFTS AGAIN, floating across the watery horizon.

The Americans crash to a stop again and chase after the

volcano. All three of them confused and CURSING. O'Connell

and Beni just stare, waiting. The volcano SHIFTS AGAIN. And

the Americans crash to a stop again. Burns is THROWN from his

horse. Henderson angrily rips his hat off and chucks it to

the ground. Daniels just curses as they give up the chase.

The volcano comes to a stop on the far left of the horizon.

The Americans are on the far right. Nothing moves. A BEAT.

And then O'Connell grins. So does Beni. They share a look.

And then SWAT their camels and RACE AWAY. Everybody else

hauls-ass after them. O'Connell and Beni are neck-and-neck.

And then Evelyn comes galloping up, hair flying in the wind.

Beni takes out his camel whip and starts WHIPPING O'Connell.

Trying to knock him off his camel. once. CRACK! Twice. CRACK!

But on the third try O'Connell grabs the whip and JERKS Beni

off his camel. Beni SLAMS to the ground and TUMBLES.

Evelyn and O'Connell race across the desert. Evelyn has never

felt so alive. She LAUGHS. O'Connell grins; he likes this

girl. Beni stumbles to his feet, then quickly dances out of

the way as Jonathan and all the other riders stampede past

him. Evelyn beats O'Connell to the stone ramp, racing hard.

O'CONNELL

Evelyn! Slow down!

Evelyn ignores him as she races up the ramp towards the gate.

O'CONNELL

SLOW DOWN, EVELYN! SLOW DOWN!

THERE'S A REALLY BIG--

INT. HAMUNAPTRA - DAY

--Evelyn goes ass-over-teacups through the air and crash lands

in a sand dune. She sits up, stunned, sandy hair in her eyes.

O'Connell stops at the edge of the ramp next to her camel.

O'CONNELL

Never mind.

The Americans ride up and look in wonder at the ruins inside

the volcano. O'Connell gives them a big, sh*t-eating grin.

O'CONNELL

You boys owe me five hundred dollars.

ext. HAMUNAPTRA - DAY

Under the guidance of the Egyptologist, the Diggers are busy

hauling rock and dirt out of the Temple doorway. The three

Americans are playing poker. Beni smokes a hookah and swats

flies. Dozens of stray CAMELS roam the decrepit city; dusty

backpacks and old saddlebags still slung over their humps.

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